English Language Learners / Dual Language Learners / Multicultural Education Support – Language Lizard Blog

LANGUAGE & LITERACY BLOG

Classroom, Dual Language, ELLs / DLLs, Schools,

WHAT’S THE REAL HOME LANGUAGE STORY? MAKING YOUR HEAD START CLASSROOM WELCOMING FOR MULTILINGUAL KIDS

  photo credit: meadowsaffron at flickr.com Every Head Start teacher has the privilege and responsibility to make his or her children feel valued and comfortable from day one in the classroom.   Enrollment form information can help with this: knowing all you can about a student’s background will help you to help them get used to their new school.  Sometimes, it’s not easy to be sure you are getting the most accurate information.  Many families who speak a language other than English or have another............. CONTINUE READING
Community Support, Dual Language, Families,

BRINGING UP MULTILINGUAL CHILDREN WITH LESS COMMON HOME LANGUAGES

On a sunny day in London, when the streets are crowded with people enjoying the rare warmth, you can hear an abundance of different languages from the majority migrant groups in the city: families discussing the school day in Somali; teenagers gossiping in Turkish; imams greeting each other in Urdu.   But passing by the shop fronts boasting posters in languages from Polish and Bengali, you won’t hear German or Cape Verdean creole – not unless you go to Andrea and Xaxa’s for............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, Classroom, Families,

WORLD FOLKTALES AND FABLES: EFFECTIVE TEACHING TOOLS EDUCATE & ENTERTAIN CHILDREN

Reading world folktales and fables is not only a wonderful way to entertain and bond with children, it is also an effective way to educate them. The stories in classic folklore offer both social lessons as well as an opportunity to teach about cultures and languages. World Folktales and Fables week is celebrated the third week of each March, so be sure to enjoy a good folktale in your classroom or home! Children love folktales and fables. With their simple characters and............. CONTINUE READING
At Home, ELLs / DLLs, Families,

BUILDING BABY BRAINS WITH TWO LANGUAGES

By Karen Nemeth, Ed.M. Photo credit: christine (cbszeto) Learning to talk is one of the biggest jobs a baby has to do – so wouldn’t learning two languages be confusing? The answer is: No! According to the latest research, babies’ brains are so well prepared to analyze, absorb, and make sense of language, that learning in two languages simply comes naturally. Through their research, Dr. Patricia Kuhl of Washington University and her colleagues have found that infants who grow up bilingual maintain............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, ELLs / DLLs,

BILINGUAL STUDENTS: THE BENEFITS OF NARRATION

As we mentioned in our previous post, Bilingual Students: Using Holiday Celebrations to Promote Language Development in Multicultural Classrooms, bilingual students often have a lot to say right after they return from their winter holidays. They are eager to share activities that they engaged in with family and friends and to talk about the gifts that they may have received. However, once the excitement of returning back to school has worn off, it can be more challenging to............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, ELLs / DLLs,

BILINGUAL STUDENTS: USING HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS TO PROMOTE LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOMS

Now that the New Year has arrived and school is back in full swing, students are sure to be filled brimming with enthusiastic stories of what they did during their winter holiday. Ice skating in the park, opening gifts at the fireplace, lighting candles in beautifully wrought candelabras are just a few  activities that children might share with an overjoyed twinkle in their eye. How could they not?! As we all know first-hand, getting students to engage in conversations works best when............. CONTINUE READING
Book Reviews, ELLs / DLLs, Teacher Resources,

MULTICULTURAL GIFT IDEAS

The holidays are right around the corner. For many of us, the most difficult part of this busy time of year is figuring out the perfect gift for friends and loved ones. For those of you looking for bilingual and multicultural products, we have put together a list of some customer favorites that make perfect holiday gifts for young language learners, multicultural children, or a special teacher. Board Books These heavy-duty bilingual books are perfect for babies and toddlers, giving parents the chance............. CONTINUE READING
Classroom, ELLs / DLLs,

TEACHING THANKFULNESS IN BILINGUAL CLASSROOMS

What a perfect time of year to focus on gratitude, appreciation and thankfulness! Having family and friends to share our lives with, food on the table, clean water to drink and a roof over our heads is something that adults and children alike can take time to reflect on during this holiday season. In bilingual classrooms, the topic of thankfulness can involve language learning as well as cultural sharing. Not only do we say “thank you” with different words, the way we............. CONTINUE READING
Families, Schools,

THE BILINGUAL CHILD MONTH IS HERE AGAIN!

It is that time of year to celebrate: The bilingual child month is here! We are delighted to have the opportunity to celebrate this wonderful month with you! Being bilingual is fun and fabulous – what a perfect reason to celebrate it! The best part of this celebration is that it doesn’t take much effort to focus on bilingualism: share a bilingual book with your students, visit an international district in a nearby city, or hang out together talking about the different............. CONTINUE READING
Book Reviews,

GOOSE FABLES (THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGG)

This book comprises two fables: Aesop’s The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg, and the Buddhist tale The Tortoise and the Geese. In The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg, a foolish hunter captures a goose. When the creature lays a curious-looking egg, he doesn’t know what to do! He brings the egg to a friend in town who recognizes that it is, in fact, a golden egg. The hunter is able to sell the eggs, and begins to lead a life............. CONTINUE READING
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